Tag Archives: NCL

Norwegian Luna Revealed, Sailing from Miami in 2026

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Norwegian Cruise Line today unveiled and opened for sale the next evolution of its Prima Plus Class, the all-new Norwegian Luna, according to a press release.

The new ship will sail from Miami beginning April 4, 2026, through November 2026. The Norwegian Luna will kick off its inaugural Caribbean season with two western itineraries to Roatan Island, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Harvest Caye, Belize.

The ship will then sail seven-day cruises with calls to the beautiful Eastern Caribbean destinations of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Great Stirrup Cay, NCL’s private island in the Bahamas, which will feature a brand-new pier by late 2025.

At 1,056 feet long, 156,300 gross tons, and accommodating approximately 3,550 guests at double occupancy, the Norwegian Luna will boast an overall 10 per cent size and capacity increase from Prima Class ships and will be built at Fincantieri.

“Inspired by the relationship between the moon and the tides of the ocean, we are excited to introduce Norwegian Luna as the vessel that perfectly complements her sister ship, Norwegian Aqua,” said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. “The debut of Norwegian Luna truly showcases our ongoing commitment to providing guests more of what they enjoy and value – a brand-new ship with the latest, innovative offerings sailing to the beautiful, tropical destinations of the Caribbean. It’s important to give our guests more to see, more to do, more to enjoy on board and ultimately more out of their cruise vacation. We can’t wait for them to experience Norwegian Luna!”

The company said the Norwegian Luna’s hull art will showcase a vibrant dreamscape by ELLE, the highly acclaimed street artist from Napa, Calif., who has partnered with popular brand names such as Nike, Reebok and Ralph Lauren. Entitled ‘La Luna,’ the artwork is a visual exploration of humanity’s deep-rooted connection with the celestial forces in space as human beings are intrinsically linked to the ebb and flow of the moon. ‘La Luna’ will display proudly on the bow of the ship, leading guests on an extraordinary voyage and an epic journey of discovery.

Norwegian Removes Bonaire From Two Viva Itineraries

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Norwegian Cruise Line is removing scheduled visits to Kralendijk in Bonaire from two of Norwegian Viva’s upcoming cruises.

According to a statement sent to booked guests, the sailings scheduled to depart on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, 2025, will no longer visit the port of call.

“We are committed to providing the best vacations at sea and have been working tirelessly to continue elevating the quality of the overall guest experience while positively impacting society and the environment,” Norwegian Cruise Line said.

“As we continue to optimize itineraries for enhanced port and shore excursion availability for the ultimate vacation experience, fuel optimization as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted our original itinerary,” the company added in its statement.

Sailing roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the itinerary of the affected voyages sail to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean.

“We recognize the importance that destinations play in our guests’ vacation decision-making process and assure you that these modifications were made with an optimal guest experience top-of-mind,” Norwegian continued.

The company added that, while the visit to Bonaire has been dropped, the revised itinerary now includes extended visits to La Romana, Dominican Republic; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao; Castries, St. Lucia; and Basseterre, St. Kitts.

According to the statement, shore excursions booked through Norwegian for Kralendijk, Bonaire, will be automatically cancelled.

A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be returned to the form of payment used at the time of reservation.

Norwegian also is said to be adjusting shore excursions in other ports of call to coincide with the new times in port.

Spending the winter in the region, the Norwegian Viva is scheduled to offer a series of week-long cruises to the Southern and Eastern Caribbean between mid-December and mid-April.

Sailing from Puerto Rico, the schedule of the 2023-built ship also features visits to Tortola, St. Maarten, Barbados, St. Thomas and more.

Norwegian Set to Boost Caribbean Cruise Capacity

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“We pair our ships with destinations, sending some of our smaller ships to exotic destinations and some of our larger amenity-filled ships to our fun and sun destinations,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, speaking on Monday at an investor event held in New York.

As a result, “Fun and Sun” (Caribbean, Bermuda and Hawaii) capacity will make up 54 per cent of the deployment for the Norwegian Cruise Line brand in 2026, up from 42 per cent this year.

“It gives our guests the opportunity, on the NCL brand, to return over and over and over again, maximizing their lifetime value and driving high fields.”

Sommer said he believed Norwegian’s ships with increased amenities were perfectly suited for millennial and Generation Z guests.

The company will send its biggest ships to its core destinations in the “Fun and Sun” regions.

As a result, by 2026, the company’s average cruise length will be down to eight days from nine in 2023 with more short and week-long Caribbean sailings as a growing part of the deployment mix.

Capacity days are expected to be in the 12 million range in these “Fun and Sun” destinations by 2026, up from 8 million in 2023, according to a company presentation.

In addition, the mix of the company’s top 10 embarkation points (homeports) will be greater, representing 80 per cent of 2026 capacity, compared to 65 per cent in 2023.

“Our increased Caribbean deployment has given us the ability to invest in our private island in Great Stirrup Cay,” Sommer said, noting the coming two-ship pier for the island set to open in 2025.

Other investments will follow in Great Stirrup Cay, including a VIP area, and the company expects to host approximately 700,000 guests on the island by 2026, up from 400,000 in 2023.